Live Video: Chimurenga Renaissance

Already, between the blazing Seattle sunlight and constant music he’s been cranking out, it’s been a solid summer for Chimurenga Renaissance‘s front-man and activist Tendai Maraire. After having released his album riZe vadZimu riZe in March, an ambitious collage of contemporary rap and traditional Zimbabwean instrumentation, he’s finishing up Shabazz Palaces‘ highly-anticipated Lese Majesty and their accompanying tour dates. Now, Maraire, fresh from his home in Seattle, dropped by the KEXP studio with his mbira, a Zimbabwean lamellaphone, and a wealth of other instruments to dish out a reminder of why we turn to music in the first place: to be, whether physically or spiritually, moved. As a result, no matter which project he’s in, Maraire offers profound messages of suffering, community, and kinship, all the while challenging the immensities of life. So, tune in to his recent in-studio session live on Wo’Pop here because the B.A.D. is so good: